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NA030LA
08-15-2010, 02:16 PM
I thought I’d give a review of the Zoozone 1.

This is a cage I would really recommended to any hamster owner.

Here is a picture of the Zoozone 1
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p220/SkinnyCow_21/Zoozone1001.jpg

Dimensions Outside: 28” L / 18” W

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p220/SkinnyCow_21/Zoozone1004.jpg

Dimensions Inside: 25” L / 15” W
Inside the cage the floor is level and there is plenty of floor space. The floor space has also been maximised by combining the food dish at the end of the floor. There is also plenty of height on the sides of the cage to keep sawdust inside the cage. Also the plastic it's made out of is very strong and thick and will last a while.

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p220/SkinnyCow_21/Zoozone1008.jpg

The water bottle is installed outside of the cage to maximise the space on the inside of the cage. In my opinion a good idea as I like to keep more of the space inside as big as possible.

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p220/SkinnyCow_21/Zoozone1002.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p220/SkinnyCow_21/Zoozone1006.jpg

Here is the lid of the cage, a set of bars which are spaced 1" appart. In my opinion the bar spacing is to wide for hamsters and will need to be meshed. "I learnt that one the hard way!" I don't find this a problem but some will find the cage already to expensive to have to spend more money meshing the top. The bars still give active hamsters something to climb swing and chew on which is also good. The ventalation is OK but it could be better. In my opinion a few fan like slots on the side would of been good as it does get hot during the summer months.

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p220/SkinnyCow_21/Zoozone1005.jpg

There are no doors on this cage. You pop the lid to open it and it fastenes by pushing it down into the plastic lid. I find this closure system to be really good as it stops any escape attempts.

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p220/SkinnyCow_21/Zoozone1003.jpg

These are the cage clips and they secure the top to the bottom of the cage. The clips are secure so you can lift the whole thing without making a mess. It also makes the cage easy to clean. When the top is detached all your left with is the bottom of the cage which is light and looks just like a cat litter box.

Pros

* Pleasing on the eye.
* Can be purchased in Pink or Blue White and Turquoise
* Can be cheap to buy second hand.
* Spacious.
* Can fit lots of toys in.
* Easy to clean.
* Secure clips on both sides of cage.
* Secure pushdown closure making escape attempts less easy.
* Wire grill makes for easy access to your hamster.
* Cage setup can easily be moved around to give your hamster more variety.
* Space inside maximised. Food bowl is combined at one end of the floor and water bottle is installed on the outside of the cage.
* Sawdust and Poop is kept inside the cage.

Cons

* Made for Guinea pigs.
* Big (if you haven't got a lot of space).
* Bar spacing is too wide for hamsters, so it will need to be covered with mesh.
* Not really suitable for a cage chewing hamster but not out of the question. More cage inspections would be needed if hamster is inclined to chew.
* Sides are quite high, so not that easy to see into.
* Water bottle holder is not that secure and can be knocked off easily.
* Poor ventilation.
* Can get too hot inside during summer.

All in all for the price even brand new you can’t go wrong. But if you like the bells and whistles I’d stay clear.

internet_nobody
08-15-2010, 02:59 PM
I have quite a few of these and I absolutely love them, something i'd add to pros is they are really thick plastic, which doesn't tend to crack. I bought a duna multy as I kept recommending them to people as an alternative that doesn't need meshing, and was a little disappointed to find it is made of the same plastic as the smaller ones which is quite brittle and only gets worse as it ages.

Couple of comments on the cons listed - big isn't one :P You can find it online for under £35, so it isn't really expensive, and the ZZ2 has always been available, it isn't a replacement. One thing I would add to the cons (though I have only experienced this with one group of hams in the last 5 years, but know a few who have had issues with syrians) is that those funny little square gaps you can see in the left hand corner on the second pic can be a site where hams start chewing holes, so that's worth bearing in mind for anyone who would buy this cage for a bar chewer.

Second hand they often come up in white, bright pink and turqoise (all with a clear top half, rather than tinted).

stellanova1
08-15-2010, 03:08 PM
Great review, I love this cage! I have 2 of them currently in use for my robo and my Russian hamster. I didn't find meshing to difficult and was fairly cheap to do!I love that they come up quite a lot second hand and i got mine for £10-15 each. I have a grey one and a turquoise one. This is Medi the Robo's home :)
lol at Horace in the background at the top hehe!

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q261/sashaaah/Random/DSC_0152.jpg

debs
08-15-2010, 03:11 PM
i have a blue one only thing i dont like is it takes up most off my bedroom lol

stellanova1
08-15-2010, 03:17 PM
those funny little square gaps you can see in the left hand corner on the second pic can be a site where hams start chewing holes, so that's worth bearing in mind for anyone who would buy this cage for a bar chewer.


Yeah, Medi started doing that..but his nibbles are so little its not really made any difference :P

internet_nobody
08-15-2010, 03:24 PM
Great review, I love this cage! I have 2 of them currently in use for my robo and my Russian hamster. I didn't find meshing to difficult and was fairly cheap to do!

I don't mesh them for the dwarfies as a rule. I do have one meshed as I started putting in tall climbing toys for a colony of campbells to make a better use of the space.

stellanova1
08-15-2010, 03:32 PM
I don't mesh them for the dwarfies as a rule. I do have one meshed as I started putting in tall climbing toys for a colony of campbells to make a better use of the space.

I guess its a "just in case" thing for me, even though they can't reach :P and its also good to be able to attach toys to the lid...My Medi didn't use them though so got removed.

Artemis
08-15-2010, 10:24 PM
I just bought a ZZ1 as it was the largest cage I could carry out of the store (heheh) and I love it! :-D I've found it quite easy to customize and it certainly went together easy enough. I also love the snap closures, feels very secure.

fluffymunchkins
08-16-2010, 04:35 AM
Brill review!
I would defintely get one of these if i could, but i have the zoozone2 instead :D

Anything i could add:
cons - *I think dwarf hamsters sometimes feel a bit secluded as the base is deep, so its nice to have a level in there so they can go up and peer out, i use a trixie guinea pig shelter with a stick ladder ramp.
* It uses up loads of my bedding cause i like to fill it deep :mad:

Pros - *loads of room for a variety of toys even high ones which are sometimes a problem in other cages. You can easily rearrange the cage to keep the hams entertained
*It has a deep base for those who like to put lots of bedding in.

I can totally agree with the fact it has really sturdy plastic, my ZZ2 has survived through a guinea pig (only for a bit when it was really cold winter, she was normally in a hutch), gerbils and my robos and we've had it for about 10 years and its still got plenty of use left.

Stellanova - lol little Horace sneaking in on the the action, he wanted to be included too ;)

mangoandmimi
08-20-2010, 05:00 AM
Thanks, was torn between zz1 and zz2 but i think will go for zz2 as lid is easier to mesh becuz it doesn't curve lol XD are dimensions for zz1 and zz2 similar or the same...? thanks! great review btw XD

Hope
08-20-2010, 05:03 AM
Zoozone 1 is smaller than the zoozone 2

The zoozone 1 is about 40cm x 70cm and the zoozone 2 is about 50cm x 100cm, but you could find out the exact measurements easily using google or similar.

SarahJ
08-23-2010, 01:00 AM
Just a quick question - how high up is the hole for the bottle?

Just my hamster loves to chew and last time i put her in a cage with a hole in the side for a bottle she chewed a hole big enough for her to climb through.

fluffymunchkins
08-23-2010, 07:36 AM
I'm not sure exactly, but high enough for a syrian to reach if they want ;)
My robo can't though!

Hope
08-24-2010, 02:29 AM
Yep, phoebe is in one and she reaches the hole with ease.

cherylx33
08-24-2010, 06:48 AM
Thanks for all of this, i discovered this website while searching for a better hamster cage. I have only had my syrian hamster, (Effy), for 4 months and I am already buying her a third cage. The one she has now is the rotastak space command, and i have realised it is too small for her, there is not enough space and you can't add toys as it is so small. Now i am definately getting a zoozone, i was originally going to get this £60 cage which is much smaller and more expensive. I am so glad i stumbled across this website as now i am saving myself £30 and the cage is bigger. I can't wait to buy all the toys and furnish it, this is another let down when buying a rotastak!!! Thanks so much !

Hope
08-25-2010, 02:23 AM
Hi Cherylx33 glad this has helped you, the zoozone is a great cage. :-)

Effy will be very pleased :-)

mangoandmimi
08-25-2010, 09:54 AM
Thanks, Hope. will go for the zz2 then!!!
actually lol i put up an ad saying WANTED RODENT CAGE or something and had no replies and was really upset - and now, today i got like 3 different replies!! and each person has like 5 cages each :mad:
haha so maybe i wont get the zz....
ahh well i will for my bday then XD

cherylx33
08-26-2010, 06:54 AM
I hope she will. (: Thanks. (:

hamster mum
08-26-2010, 07:13 AM
I have a couple of the zoozone 2s in the spare cage room and Im not too keen on them, my hammies are nosey and they cant see out as well as they like to, Angel (syrian) in particular went jumpy and grumpy when she was in one, they are huge though and for the price I paid they were a bargain, I prefer barred cages but for a plastic cage they are pretty good and easy to mesh. I found when I had my dwarfs in there for a short time that the hole for the bottle meant that they couldnt reach the bottle and I had to block the hole and pop a hanging bottle in it.
http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/thedogsmother/Picture003.jpg
http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/thedogsmother/tempfile053.jpg

cherylx33
08-26-2010, 07:36 AM
I love the layout of your cage. Do you have a syrian in that cage at the moment ?

hamster mum
08-26-2010, 07:46 AM
I love the layout of your cage. Do you have a syrian in that cage at the moment ?

Thanks:) I dont have anyone in them at the moment,they reside amoungst the many others in the spare cage room, but as shown in the pics the top one had a syrian in and the bottom one had two dwarfs in.

cherylx33
08-26-2010, 08:01 AM
oh, how many hamsters do you have altogether ?

hamster mum
08-26-2010, 08:35 AM
oh, how many hamsters do you have altogether ?

I have Darla, Xander, Angel, Fred and now little Salem who are the Syrians and little Willow who is the dwarf.

cherylx33
08-31-2010, 01:41 PM
awww. i have one called Effy - she is adorable though. (:

rockstar11p
09-16-2010, 10:51 PM
Hey guys. I live in the US and there is a $80 zoo zone for sale. Do you think it's worth it? I will be getting a female syrian and totally spoil her! is it worth it opposed to a $40

internet_nobody
09-17-2010, 12:50 AM
Hey guys. I live in the US and there is a $80 zoo zone for sale. Do you think it's worth it? I will be getting a female syrian and totally spoil her! is it worth it opposed to a $40

What cage would you be getting for $40? Whether the ZZ is worth it really depends on that :p

Hope
09-17-2010, 01:08 AM
Hmm whats that . . . ?? About £50 I think in our money. Thats about what they sell for new here. It is a great cage though very roomy indeed. The bar spacing on the lid is too large though and a ham will be able to escape sp it does need meshing.

rockstar11p
09-19-2010, 08:26 AM
Its funny, I just realized that when i get my hamster i could give it s suitable life for a starting cost of about $50 but since i love my animals and enjoy spoiling them, starting costs can range into $100 probably a bit more. I think i have a problem lol.

Also just wondering, how do clean wooden toys such as trixie houses etc.

mangoandmimi
09-19-2010, 08:29 AM
you can soak them in disenfectant for a while, if theres any stains or whatever then a good scrub doesnt hurt x

fluffymunchkins
09-19-2010, 09:27 AM
normally i try not to reuse wooden things for different hamsters!
But you can try soaking it if you want :)

mangoandmimi
09-19-2010, 09:30 AM
i rarely gve hamsters the same wooden toys its safer, really. but sometimes i'm really sstraped for ccash and needd toys lol so yeah. :)

SnickersTheFirst
09-19-2010, 10:46 AM
When I got my 2nd pair of gerbils, I just disinfected the wooden toys and left them to dry for a couple of days so my new guys could use them. :D

rockstar11p
09-19-2010, 03:15 PM
thanks just in regular soap and water?

Hope
09-20-2010, 01:37 AM
You can get special pet safe disinfectant, not sure if soap is safe for them?

debs
10-21-2010, 01:13 PM
does anybody know what i can use too keep the water bottle up i used too use tape.

Hope
10-22-2010, 12:35 AM
I use self adhesive velcro - it works really well :-)

debs
10-22-2010, 08:48 AM
whats that??

wofunny
10-22-2010, 10:25 AM
Here is a link for one, Velcro Self Adhesive Sticky,2mtrs x 20mm hook & loop B on eBay (end time 04-Nov-10 19:11:33 GMT) (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Velcro-Self-Adhesive-Sticky-2mtrs-x-20mm-hook-loop-B-/370377839577?pt=UK_Crafts_Sewing_Supplies_MJ&hash=item563c3d53d9)

stellanova1
10-22-2010, 11:37 AM
Or if you have some in your house you can just use some garden wire or some string. Nothing fancy works fine for me :)

debs
10-22-2010, 12:00 PM
do you just hook it on the lid or something. they have a little bowl of water in there cages just now :]

Hope
10-23-2010, 02:35 AM
Debs - I have done some photos for you to explain. The link that Wofunny gave is the right kinda stuff, I got mine from hobby craft, most craft shops should sell it. Make surethat you get the self adheisive kind so that it is sticky backed. All I do is but one bit of velcro on the cage, just above the hole for the bottle and one bit on the bottle, with the bottle I have found that its more secure if you stick it lower down so I had to cut a split in the velcro to enable me to unscrew the bottle. Hope these help :-)

mangoandmimi
10-23-2010, 04:48 AM
Or you could always get some wire and attatch it onto some suckers to keep it held up in place :D it works well for me, but the velcr seems really good idea too ':D

debs
10-23-2010, 05:35 AM
Debs - I have done some photos for you to explain. The link that Wofunny gave is the right kinda stuff, I got mine from hobby craft, most craft shops should sell it. Make surethat you get the self adheisive kind so that it is sticky backed. All I do is but one bit of velcro on the cage, just above the hole for the bottle and one bit on the bottle, with the bottle I have found that its more secure if you stick it lower down so I had to cut a split in the velcro to enable me to unscrew the bottle. Hope these help :-)


Thank you :D

Amethyst_ice
11-17-2010, 08:59 AM
I noticed there are 2 tiny holes, im just curious how the original water holder actually works..? anyone? lol

Ellie
11-17-2010, 09:06 AM
I have bought suction cups with hooks on from wilkos for 35p put two on either side of the whole, put the bottle on and just run the elastic band from one hook to the other.. fits perfectly..

Amethyst I don't have an absolute clue how the original works I thought it was a load of rubbish!

fluffymunchkins
11-17-2010, 01:25 PM
The orginal water bottle holder (well at least the one that came with mine, might have changed now since my zoozone is so old ;))
Its a big yellow handle that doesn't hold hamster bottles well at all, better designed for guinea pig and rabbit bottles. I think i used a bobble at one point to hold a bottle on.
The handle has little hooks with attach into the two small holes.

debs
11-17-2010, 02:28 PM
Yeah thats the same with mine but mine was Blue.

Amethyst_ice
11-17-2010, 02:33 PM
i had a go with the rat bottle but still couldnt suss it lol x

Hamtastic
03-18-2011, 04:34 PM
I almost placed an order for a Zoo Zone 1 just now but started thinking about ventilation in hot weather. Spring has started, and summer temperatures are periodically over 90F/30C. My current cage is a tad smaller than ZZ1 but is a wire cage. It's a bit crowded with the most recent playground/toys I got, and something like ZZ1 would be great.

Do you think I should hold off buying a ZZ1 for now, or maybe I should try drilling some holes in the plastic for better ventilation...

laura
03-19-2011, 07:32 AM
Hamtastic, I have the zoozone cage that is meant as an indoor one for guinea pigs or rabbits and it's a really practical and well ventilated cage for dwarf hamsters for it has so much room in it. My hamster was fine in the zoozone last summer (and the flat I was in was really badly ventilated due to the landlord being a bum). They should be cool enough in wooden houses and with plenty of cardboard boxes to shade them.

I also think there are much worsely ventilated cages out there, my other hamster is in a habitrail ovo and I think that's much more closed in and plastic all over but he was also fine. I would just avoid plastic hamster houses inside the cage. The cage is so high that it really does let the air circulate :)

WandaWigglebottom
03-31-2011, 12:58 PM
I have Darla, Xander, Angel, Fred and now little Salem who are the Syrians and little Willow who is the dwarf.

hehe aww all buffy characters <3


i just ordered the ZZ2 :)

Hamtastic
04-05-2011, 06:40 PM
Bonus photo of this cage (set up for 2 roborovski hamsters):
(gets an A+ from me too)

If you have a roborovski hamster, you will not need to mesh the top unless you have very tall toys.

Attaching a smaller water bottle:
In the second photo, you'll see how I have a fairly small water bottle attached with the default plastic holder. I made a thick "ball" out of tape and taped it to the top of the bottle. It acts as a stopper-lock for the default plastic bottle holder. I also taped the yellow plastic bottle holder to the cage wall where it is attached, so I don't need to worry about the ends slipping out when I open the lid.

Cathii
04-13-2012, 10:09 AM
Great review!

Thanks for posting, it's really useful as I am thinking of getting the ZZ1.

It makes me sick to think this is sold as a guinea pig or rabbit cage.
Good size for hamsters, bad size for guinea pigs or rabbits. Even one shouldn't be cooped up inside one of those, especially as they are mainly plastic.

daydreambeliever
10-13-2014, 10:39 AM
Can I fit a huge wheel in it?